Never ending
by iceAmericanoaddict
Summary: After three years of marriage, they broke up. She returns to her family in an attempt to go on with her life away from him. However, will he give up on her so easily? Will fate have another rendez-vous planned for them?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura.

**Chapter 1.**

"This is the last call for flight number EB 7541, departing New York to Tokyo. All the passengers must be boarded on the plane. Once again this is the last …" The airport broadcast diffused into the background. "Haaa…" I sighed softly and leaned into my seat. My name is Sakura Kinomoto. I am 27 years old and as of today, I am permanently leaving New York – my beloved home for three years marriage with a man. As of yesterday, all the legal bindings between us were dissolved. I was no longer his wife just like how he was no longer my husband. We divorced and decided to go our separate ways.

Looking down at the glorious city as the plane ascended, I noticed the luminous points shimmering in the darkness. Lights in the blackness… Yes, at one point he was my light – beautiful rays of sunshine and absolute love. However, sunny days cannot exist perpetually. There is never an eternal beam of light – it is bound to be obscured by malicious clouds that harbor rain and thunder.

And so does love.

"Sakura! Sakura!" I heard a familiar voice calling my name. Straining my ears in the boisterous crowd of Tokyo airport, I tried to find the source of this voice. I looked around, until I found the person. "Touya!" I shouted as I ran towards him. He had his arms wide open, ready to give me a crushing squeeze. I immediately leaped into his embrace. After a minute of chocking hug, my brother released me. "I missed you Sakura, you monster." He pinched my nose slightly. "Me too, you abusive brother." I replied with a hearty grin. It has been too long. I have been away for too long.

The drive home was peaceful. We chatted and updated each other. I learnt that my sister-in-law was six months pregnant with their first child. I learnt that their baby is a healthy boy. I learnt that father was still passionately teaching at Todai University.

Touya learnt that I had quit my job at New York. He learnt that I left the city for good. And he realized that I did not come back to Tokyo for a mere holiday.

He knew that my marriage was over.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2. **

"… Yes. Okay, I got it. I will be coming tomorrow to have a look at it. Thank you, see you" I ended my call and looked at the blueprint, only to be interrupted by a loud grown from my stomach. I quickly glanced at the time – it was half past three in the afternoon. I sighed. I guess skipping out on lunch was a bad idea. Upon hearing my grumble, Yukito looked at me. He was smiling and stretched his arms. He asked me "Shall we have a late lunch? We can finish the work after that." "Yes, that sounds good." I replied, scratching my head out of embarrassment. And, together we left to have a late lunch.

We entered a restaurant close-by. A waiter ushered us to the table and we made our orders. Sipping the lemonade that the waiter returned with, I stared outside of the window. "So how is the work? Is it doable?" asked Yukito. "It is interesting. To be honest, I didn't think it will be this interesting" I replied. "I am glad that you are enjoying your work." The food arrived and the conversation temporarily ceased. We both ate in hurry. Deserts arrived and I was eating vanilla parfait. It was cold but soft and delicate. Hmmmmm…"Sakura? Sakura?" I broke out of my thought and looked up at Yukito. "Are you okay there? You looked … lost." Yukito said in a tender tone. "I am fine. Sorry, I was just thinking how ice cream can be so cold yet soft at the same time." I replied with my lips curled slightly towards the end. "And you are 27 years old, Sakura" Yukito shook his head but definitely amazed. "I try" I joked.

It has already been three months since leaving New York and started working with Yukito as an interior designer. The work was unexpectedly appealing and I was fascinated with the job. It was in a way related with my previous careers – an artist and teacher. I was able to put my aptitude at use and utilize it to aid people create a desired home. Yukito was a nice employer and always encouraged me. But foremostly, I was content unlike three months ago.

Nevertheless, this fragile peace was soon shattered. And I was oblivious.

It was a bright morning. The sun was high and there was no trace of clouds. I yawned as I revved the engine. Quickly taking out my phone, I punched in the address into the GPS application. The route was set and I drove out.

I arrived at the destination and parked the car. I locked the car and looked around. The given address led me to luxurious skyscraper that belonged to wealthy people. I entered the elevator and pressed the top-most floor. After a brief moment, the door opened and I quickly walked out to find the correct number. I pressed the bell and heard a male voice asking who it is. I replied "I'm an interior designer from _Le Ciel_, the one on the phone yesterday." I smiled, expecting another good day. How silly of me…The door was opened and at that very precise moment, I felt my prior happiness crumble. My smile immediately dropped.

"Well, why don't you come in Sakura?" It was my ex-husband – Syaoran Li.


	3. Chapter 3

_Recap from Chapter 2_

"Well, why don't you come in Sakura?" It was my ex-husband - Syaoran Li

**Chapter 3.**

It was early evening by the time I returned to my office at _Le Ciel_. "How was your work?" one of the fellow colleagues asked. "Terrible" I replied, and headed straight to Yukito's office, leaving everyone dumbfounded with my curtness in response.

-Tap Tap Tap- I knocked.

"Come in" Yukito answered.

Without any further ado, I opened the door and closed it hastily. I found him in his desk, looking at some blueprints and documents.

"What in the world were you doing Yukito?" I asked as calmly as possible.

"What do you mean Sakura?" He replied in a composed tone as he looked up at me, which only acted to infuriate me further.

With that, all my patience ran thin and I was unable to suppress my exasperation any longer. Hence, I screamed at him. "What do you mean? That is my question! First of all, why didn't you tell me it was his apartment that I was going over today? Secondly, out of all the employees in _Le Ciel_, did you send me? Explain Yukito! Do you even have an idea..."

"Because I asked him to", a feminine voice intervened.

I turned around, only to find a very familiar face sitting in the couch gracefully, wearing a exquisite black evening dress.

"Shiefa..." I muttered, extremely surprised to see her.

"It has been a while Sakura" Shiefa answered and smiled ruefully. She slowly stood up and walked towards me. Then she extended her hand. However, I was not in the mood for exchanging pleasantries. So I just stared at her. She sighed at my reaction and collected her hand, unfazed by my unresponsiveness.

"Ouch Sakura" she said lightheartedly, yet in a voice hurt from my lack of response. I flinched. But at the moment, I could not care less. The peaceful life I have established and envisioned over the past three months has just been demolished within three hours. I was back to square one all over sudden due to reappearance of her brother. If anything, what I am experiencing was unable to be compared to my cold treatment to her as when I divorced Syaoran, I wanted to severe myself from the rest of the Li family. She should know that I will not be overjoyed to see her - in fact expect the very opposite.

"Sorry. I will go straight to the point then. It wasn't Yukito who sent you to my brother. It was me." She stated in a neutral tone after a moment of scrutinizing me.

Yukito merely sighed and rubbed his temples.

And I had ominous feeling that my life would be more than troublesome from that point.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"You sent me? Why? In the first place, how did you know I was working here?" I asked.

"Simple. One of my friends renovated their place and recommended you to me. And, since Syaoran needed his place to be furnish his place, why not heed the advice? I doubted that it will be the same Sakura Kinomoto that I knew once. After all, there are bound to be more than one Sakura Kinomoto in Tokyo alone." Shiefa replied, chuckling a bit.

I was dumbfounded but she continued. "Anyway, I know things may not have been smooth between you and Syaoran but this time, he is just your client. Just think of it that way." She further added and left Yukito's office for her engagement. "See you Sakura, take care" she said before leaving and giving me a peck in my cheek.

As soon as she closed her door, my legs gave up and I sat on the floor. I sighed deeply. Sympathetically, Yukito came by my side and asked in a gentle tone, "Do you want to drink?". I nodded. Grabbing our bags, we left the office and went to Yukito's regular bar nearby the office.

"Slow down Sakura. You will experience hangover tomorrow" Yukito said. But I could not care less and emptied another shot of Jack Daniel.

"Why me? Why me? When I just found my own life..." I ranted, frustrated about the situation. Yukito looked at me compassionately. "I am sorry" he said. "I am extremely sorry Sakura. I could not stop her." He explained - his words sincere. I sighed and reasoned. "It is not your fault. I am sure she would have razed the whole place down if you refused her. I know she knew it was me. She has her ways." I merely stated, emptying another shot, trying to ease my current situation as if alcohol can solve my current predicament.

"But why is it that she wants to connect you to Syaoran badly? I thought you guys were over." He asked, still looking sympathetic yet quizzical at the same time. However, before I can answer, another person intervened, "That is none of your business." And the person grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the seat. Surprised by the sudden gesture, I turned around and saw that it was Syaoran, the culprit who fouled my mood this afternoon. I was shocked and tried to wriggle out of his grip but he just gazed straight to Yukito and stated "And, we were never over."


	5. Chapter 5

-Recap of **Chapter 4 **

_I was shocked and tried to wriggle out of his grip but he just gazed straight to Yukito and stated "And, we were never over." _

**Chapter 5.**

He dragged me out of the bar whilst I remained dazed. Once we were outside, he let go of my wrist. Awoken by the chilly autumn night, my consciousness returned and I was no longer stunned. Hence, the moment his grip loosened, his face was met with a loud slap.

-slap-

I almost expected him to hold his cheek and shout out his agony. But he did not do that and rather looked down at me, ardently staring into my eyes, and I saw him slightly smiling - clearly bemused by my response. Shocked and further irritated my his response, I raised my hand to slap him again. However, this time, he was faster - for he did not let me finish my intended action; he held my hand mid-way and used the force to bring me closer to him. Then he moved his face closer to my face, almost as if trying to kiss me. I was so astounded by his sudden action that I closed my eyes hard.

"You are ever so cute Sakura" he whispered into my ears and let go of me once again.

Once he released me, I snapped my eyes open and tried to retort back. I was beyond being embarrassed and humiliated by his attitude. Yet, to prevent myself becoming a mockery once again, I turned my back and walked away.

Nevertheless, he easily stopped me with his long strides, blocking my way.

I sighed audibly and he asked, "Where are you going?"

"I am returning to home." I replied, completely exhausted with today's occurrences. All I wanted to do at the moment was crash into my bed and black out.

Upon my response, he simply took out his phone and called someone. A minute later, a sleek, black car was stopped in front of him and a man in a suit came out of the vehicle, bowing to Syaoran.

"You may go" Syaoran simply stated to the man, then he opened the door next to the driver's seat and walked to the driver's seat.

I just stood there, uncomprehending.

This time, he sighed and said "Get in Sakura"

But I pretended not to hear him; not wanting to be spend even a second longer with him. So I attempted walking away once again.

Yet, he followed me, honking at me. Annoyed by his persistence, I turned around and shot him an unpleasant look.

However, he just shrugged from his seat and pointed at the seat next to his, motioning me to get into his car. Realizing that he will not give up, I sighed and went into the car as he wanted.

Satisfied, he finally drove away. Discontent with being in the same space, I frowned and closed my eyes. The last thing I heard was him snickering softly... Just like when we were still happily married and I fell asleep, my frown turned into slight curve which hopefully was not seen by him...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6.**

Everything was so familiar.

Soft, silky bed sheets, heavenly aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the sound of silent flipping of news paper...

It has been a while since I felt such vivid sensation. Warm, comfortable and... peaceful. Like back in those days when Syaoran and I were still happily married. This must be a dream since we are no longer together. I concluded somewhat sadly and tried to go back to sleep until I heard my alarm ring.

Slightly disappointed by the shortness of peaceful slumber, I sat up and stretched. Eyes still closed, I yawned. That was when I heard a chuckle.

Surprised by the sudden sound and alerted by unknown presence in the room, I looked around the room madly. But soon, I realized that I was not in my own bed nor my room!

"Too hilarious" said the person who chuckled.

I turned head towards the direction of the voice and shouted.

"Wha.. Wha.. What the heck? What did you do to me Syaoran?!" I screamed.

"Ouch, I am not deaf Sakura" He said.

Embarrassed by my sudden ourburst and a little calmed down, I asked him, "Where am I?"

"My apartment" He replied curtly as if the answer was obvious.

I was dumbfounded.

"...Why...? Why am I in your apartment? What were you trying to do?" I snapped back at him, not liking the situation and his attitude one bit. I bet my face was red and my veins were popping in my forehead just like in those comic books.

Putting down the newspaper he was reading, he came to sit by the bed, carrying a steaming mug.

"Here. You love having freshly brewed coffee in the morning" He said gently as he passed me the cup. Holding the cup, I thanked him awkwardly.

So he still remembered.

As I sipped the coffee, he started explaining.

"I brought you here because you fell asleep in the car and since I did not know where you were living, I thought I could let you sleep here. Sorry, it must have surprised you." He ended with a wistful smile. Then he gently patted my head and got up.

"Go and wash. I will drive you back" he said, picking up the finished mug.

An hour later, we were in front of our apartment.

"Thank you" I said as I reached for the door. However, before I could open it, Syaoran stopped me.

"Huh?" I said as I turned around and faced him.

"Don't go." He said in a small voice.

Instantly, I was alarmed. This was not good. Hence, I pretended that I did not hear him and proceeded to continue opening the door - to get away.

Yet, he caught me once again. His amber eyes were full of emotion - love, sadness and frustration... all those that I did not wish to recognize. All those that I thought I have abandoned the moment we separated. My chest was throbbing of familiar pain. No I was not going to make the same mistake which occured simply due to being with him.

Shaking him off with abrupt force, I opened the door and bolted out. Then I rushed into my apartment and collapsed into my bed. All hoping that this was nothing but a nightmare I will wake up from.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

_-flashback_

I failed again miserably. No matter what I do, how conscientiously I try, I guess there are just some things that one can never accomplish.

"How can you wear an apparel from Valentino when we were meeting up with Vera Wang? Where is your common sense?" my mother-in-law, Yelan Li shouted. The maids who were passing by snickered at me.

"Sorry mother. It was my mistake" I apologized in a small, strained voice, my head dropped low.

"This is why a well-learnt lady should have married Syaoran! Someone with good nature and standards! I should have never let you into our family. Look what you did to our prestigious name. If she discontinues the business with us, can you be responsible for it? Like you can." She retorted in a rather loud voice, as she dramatically slapped her palm on her forehead - vividly displaying her dislike towards me.

"Sorry. I was careless. I will pay better attention from next time." I said as tears started streaming down my face. Damn... Same phrases over and over again, same repertoire every time. This must be like fifth time getting scolded on the matter in front of maids and butlers.

Extremely dissatisfied yet content with ridiculing me in front of the entire household, mother left the room. As she left, I quietly left the place too, utterly ashamed by the incident.

This was the normal pattern. She was never happy with anything I do and she never hesitated to lash out like just now in presence with everyone in the mansion. My every action, words, ideas, gestures were ghastly pathetic in her perspective. Hence she always picked out even small details that people; well according to my standards would ignore and reveal how ignorant and boorish I was. Her final touch was always how I shamed the Li clan and that I should have never married Syaoran.

It was like this ever since the day I married Syaoran. It was not only his mother who was discontent with me. His entire clan was dissatisfied with him for marrying a commoner who was not even from the same country. Hence, it was expected that I would be unwelcome into the family. But this was beyond my preparation. My presence itself was deemed inferior than dirt in the family. Therefore, everyone, including the servants of the house degraded me publicly.

I became quickly aware of this fact from the first day into the family. It was right after returning from the honeymoon. Being a newlywed and foreign to the customs of the family, I slept soundly until I heard Syaoran preparing for work. At once, I sat up.

"Sleep more Sakura." He said, looking at me with warm eyes. Then he kissed my hair and left. I went back to sleep, until I heard bustling sound and footsteps by the corridor with an angry mother's voice. Not thinking much about it, I closed my eyes again. Suddenly, the door was opened. Surprised, I looked up immediately. She was fuming. I was clueless as to why a person would be discontent from the morning, especially on such an exquisite day.

"How can you not see Syaoran out? Didn't maids inform you yesterday of our household rules?" she exclaimed. I have never heard of it. Nobody told me. Hence I replied as courteously as possible "no mother. I was not informed." Then she sharply turned her eyes to the maids behind her and stared at one of them. "Did you not inform her of our customs?" she interrogated. Yet the maid's answer shocked me, "Yes ma'am we did yesterday several times." What a liar! And she said it without even panicking under mother's intense gaze.

With the response, mother's eyes were turned to me again.

"Ridiculous, lying from to the mother-in-law from the first day." she retorted, in a voice full of contempt. Then she left abruptly, every gesture showing her discontent. And, the maids left as well, giving me an obnoxious look. I was dumbfounded. Someone just framed me. However, concluding that I could have disregarded the information due to fatigue, I remained silent about the issue. Nevertheless, it recurred frequently - maids continued lying to mother day after day, aggravating the situation. This nonsense only stopped when Syaoran found out and fired the maids who distorted the truth. Yet, mother's hatred towards me only deteriorated as she believed I manipulated Syaoran to avoid getting scolded by her. This lead to further expression of dissatisfaction like the incident.

So to prevent further arguments stirring up from the family, Syaoran volunteered to be placed at the New York branch paying no attention to mother's complaints.

It was utterly blissful in the beginning. We had a beautiful apartment by the Central Park. Every morning, we would wake up and take morning strides around the park. Then I helped Syaoran get ready for the work and he would kiss me goodbye for the day. Without anyone's involvement, I would clean the house, wash clothes, go for grocery shopping and wait for him to return with food made all by myself. Every evening when he had no overtime work, he would come back straight to home and we spent time together. Or sometimes he would call me to dress up and come to his office so we could enjoy dates like watching Broadway shows or going for skating after his work. It was heavenly. So freaking perfect that I forgot that I married one of the most influential man with his family loathing me.

However, soon it proved that this happiness was nothing to last long. Even in our house in New York, away from the main house of Hong Kong, Li family still held such predominance over my life. My mother-in-law would drop by every now and then with the business related matters, and she would raze the whole place up and down. She would test me when she comes by just like with Vera Wang case and it always finished with criticizing about my ... everything. She disparaged me about how I cannot differentiate between brands and object my lack of standards and senses. She always ended her lectures with how she wishes for her daughter-in-law to be much more competent and helpful to Li's.

"What a daughter-in-law I have. Useless. Utterly useless!" she exclaimed whenever she was frustrated with me. Honestly, her comments were extremely degrading, to the point that I felt like I was not a human. Thereby, whenever she dropped by, it was like an aftermath of hurricane. I was reduced to terrible state.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8.**

-_flash back continued-_

Because we were strongly in love, everything was fine. Love was all that I needed. That was what I believed - I will persevere any adversities that I will confront as long as I am with Syaoran.

How wrong I was. Love cannot endure everything.

In the beginning, Syaoran would comfort me to his best ability after his mother visited. He would hug me and whisper gently, "Don't mind what she says. Just think that she has hit her menopause so she is just venting out randomly. I promise you, she is like that when she storms into my office." And, his words would cheer me up. He caressed me with his own healing phrases. Then, I would just forget about what has occurred. After all, I had him. Syaoran was by my side.

But soon I learnt that it was not love that changed; it was us - the people who changed with time.

As the frequency of her traveling increased, he became more insensitive towards the matter. He started becoming annoyed about my own problems since his work load multiplied with his mother's trips to New York.

Since I was stressed at home and he too, was fatigued by the overload, we became extremely irritable. There was no more soothing by other but frustration and exasperation whenever we were in the same space. Very minute issues that one could easily ignore became the topic for a fight. Even small things like roasting of coffee became a trigger for a quarrel.

"I told you that I want my coffee medium roasted" He would say frowning after taking a sip from his mug.

Yet, having different preferences, I rebuked back "Well, I prefer the light roast. If you don't like what I brought for you, then do it yourself Syaoran."

This argument initiated by coffee roasting lasted three days with silent treatments to each other.

But the worst dispute happened at donation party held by his company. This event required my participation as his partner so from the early morning, I needed to visit several boutiques for preparation as 'I lacked standards' according to mother-in-law. However, when I have arrived, Syaoran left me standing. He relayed to his secretary that I should sit quietly in one corner until he looks for me. I understood this part and complied since he was the most significant person in the entire room.

Once his opening speech was over, he immediately came over by my side. As he tried to say something, he was interrupted by a couple.

"My my, Mr. Li that was one great speech!" The man in his late 50s said to Syaoran. Syaoran turned around and greeted the man with a smile with courteous reply.

"No sir, I am still very lacking but I am glad that you found it satisfactory." Then the conversation regarding the event and some business stocks transpired which I was really not interested in. However, what caught my eyes was a young, pretty girl of early 20s by the couple engaging Syaoran into the talk.

"... So this is my daughter Lisa. Lisa meet Mr. Li, the organizer of today's event." the old man said. The girl - Lisa - and Syaoran greeted each other whilst I remained forgotten. Then the man pushed his daughter and Syaoran to the dance floor and they waltzed right in front of me. I heard people complimenting the two like how they look good together both appearance and family wise; they were the perfect match.

Unable to watch them any longer, I left the room. I rushed to the washroom, placed the lock and cried. It was so painful. I know it is related with his company and for the sake of it, sometimes he has to appease others whether he likes or not. But that did not mean that I was fine with him being with another woman. It did not imply that I was okay with hearing how he goes well with other woman or stay forgotten by everyone, even by my husband. It was just... excruciating. My heart ached by the mere thought of it; the vivid image of the two - Syaoran and another woman.

About five minutes later, I heard my phone buzzing. It was Syaoran. I wanted to ignore it but nevertheless, I still answered because I expected him to be very mellow towards me due to the incident.

"Where are you?" he asked curtly - polar opposite to the voice I anticipated.

"I am... in the bathroom." I replied shakily.

"Come back now" He stated in an imperative tone. Did he just order me?

I chose not to say anything and hang up. For a few of minutes, I was still dazed. He just flirted and danced with another girl without my consent or a warning despite his married status and he commanded me like his subordinate, not as his wife nor partner. My phone buzzed several times more but I chose not to answer it. After fixing the parts that was removed due to my tears, I opened the door. And, I found Syaoran standing, staring at me. To be more precise, glaring at me.

"I called you numerous times." he said coldly.

"I know." I replied sharply.

"You know?" He said, looking extremely agitated.

"Because I chose to ignore it so I know that much" I retorted, tangibly relaying the fact that I was mad too.

"Why are you acting like a child? Do you not understand how important this event is to me and company?" He shouted quietly, not wanting to be heard by the guests. That was it. I could not take it anymore of his egocentrism.

"I am acting like a child? I am? You are nonsensical. You were the one who just left me stranded, flirted and danced with a girl despite the fact that I am your wife who happened to be in the same room invited by you!" I exclaimed as I could no longer hold back. Damn... I could feel my tears flowing again.

Without any notice, he abruptly grabbed my wrist and dragged me into some room. He locked it and turned back to face me with his glares never dying.

"You really don't understand anything?" He shouted. I guess the room is soundproof.

"How much further do I have to understand?" I rebuked back, everything out loose now. I was not tolerating anything from this point.

Surprised with my outburst, Syaoran tried to explain in a calm voice. "Sakura, that man is an extremely crucial piece for my next project. I need his participation to accomplish it. So that is the reason why I had to placate him. It is not like I enjoy appeasing old people." He tried reasoning with me. Honestly, it was not that I could not comprehend him. I do realize the value of his company. I really do. However, he was not answering the utmost question to me.

"...That still does not explain how come people don't know you are officially married now with me. Frankly, it appeared that he obviously wants you more than a mere business partner." I said quietly, averting my eyes.

"That... I ... ummm..." He stuttered. Strange. Syaoran never stuttered. He was always confident with his beliefs and words.

A few seconds passed by. Then he spoke. "Apparently people are not aware of it. Mother did not let the news out." He said almost inaudibly.

"And, I only found out recently too."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9.**

-_flashback continued-_

"Apparently people are not aware of it. Mother did not let the news out." He said almost inaudibly.

"And, I only found out recently too."

The impact of his last words were unimaginable. My mind went blank like a white paper and my whole body, starting from fingertips felt numb as if I have been momentarily electrocuted.

Silence persisted in the room as I could not think of a coherent response and I silently hoped that I did not hear what I just heard specifically from the man I loved the most.

His words kept ringing. I am unsure how long I zoned out for. But I was brought back to reality by the distant yet familiar voice of Syaoran calling me.

"Sakura, Sakura, are you okay?"

That was when everything rushed into me.

... People did not knew of our marriage. People did not know that Syaoran was my husband. They did not know that I was his wife. They did not know that we were together.

To sum up everything, I was not accepted.

Upon this realization, tears flowed down my face. I was denied.

It was so bright when I woke up. The rays of light poured through the gaps left between the curtains, reaching my face. I slowly sat up from my bed and stretched to relieve the morning stiffness. Then I went through my daily routine of preparing for work just like an ordinary day.

As I left the apartment and walked towards the basement garage, I could not help but think about my current predicament. Just three months ago, I divorced. I came back to Japan and resumed working to forget about everything - the marriage, Li clan and... Syaoran. Somehow, I wholeheartedly enjoyed the occupation. But the very cause of my primary discomfort returned and now he was demanding a new start. It was so tangled up. Things that I tried to accomplish past three months went straight down the drain with his reappearance. And, what deteriorated the situation was the fact that I was disturbed - I was unclear about him; was I excited to see him or was I sad to see him? What was the emotion I was experiencing? Anger? Hope? Panic? Anxiety? It was so perplexing that I could not think straight. What was my true sentiment towards him?

And, speak of devil, as I approached my car, I saw a figure standing next to it - it was Syaoran. Not wanting to confront the origin of my confusion, I promptly ignored him and entered the car. But before I could get away, he already settled next to the driver's seat and strapped the safety belt on.

"What are you doing?" I asked, extremely annoyed by his stupid antics from the early morning.

"Good morning to you too Sakura." He replied with a grin, tangibly amused.

"I asked, what are you doing?"

But instead of answering my question, he reached over for my GPS and fiddled with it. After a few seconds, he returned it to its original place and I saw a route being shown.

"Let's go. Follow the GPS." He said.

I stared at him. Seriously, what the heck? What was he trying to pull?

Sighing lightly, he pulled out his phone and called someone. After a brief ringing, a very familiar voice picked up.

"Hello? This is Syaoran Li. Please inform Sakura Kinomoto. It appears that she is clueless." and he passed his phone to me. Tentatively, I received the phone and checked the screen before answering it. To my surprise, it displayed Yukito's number. Oblivious of what will happen, I answered it gladly despite still being puzzled.

"Hello? This is Sakura Kinomoto speaking"

"Hi Sakura. Sorry for not contacting you earlier. You have a new assignment." Then there was a silence.

"Okay? I am listening."

"Ummmm... The client is Syaoran Li and you are to focus solely on his project from today. All your current tasks were transferred to other employees and you are to chiefly concentrate on this new assignment for an undetermined period."

Shit. That was the first word that came across my mind. I was so screwed!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10.**

_Recap from Chapter 9_

_"Ummmm... The client is Syaoran Li and you are to focus solely on his project from today. All your current tasks were transferred to other employees and you are to chiefly concentrate on this new assignment for an undetermined period."_

_Shit. That was the first word that came across my mind. I was so screwed!_

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After the conversation with Yukito, I refused to talk with Syaoran. Meanwhile, he simply pulled out his laptop to look at some graphs concerning company stock values – as kindly explained by him which I could not careless. To tell the truth, all I saw were nonsensical colorful zig-zag lines that went up and down continuously, presenting me with migraines by just looking at them.

We drove for hours in silence until Syaoran spoke.

"I am hungry. Let's take a break at the next stop."

Feeling slightly exhausted with driving from the early morning, I complied with him. After having simple snacks and coffee, we returned to the car. As we approached the vehicle, I fished out the keys. However, Syaoran quickly took the keys and walked towards the driver's seat.

"I will drive for the rest of the trip"

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It was late in the afternoon when we arrived. And, I was extremely surprised by what I saw in front of me. I think my jaws dropped a little… and Syaoran chuckled softly upon my reaction.

_-flashback-_

_"Syaoran! Syaoran! Don't you think this house is exquisite? I think it is magnificent!" I spoke with delight as I pointed at a page in a magazine. "It is lovely" Syaoran responded with a warm smile. _

_"I want to visit this place when we visit Japan next time. Promise?" I pleaded with my puppy eyes. _

_"I promise." Syaoran replied earnestly and with that, I hugged him happily._

"I kept my promise." Syaoran spoke as he looked at the house in front of us.

"You… remembered?" I asked him, my voice shaking.

He turned around towards my direction and gazed into my eyes. Then I saw him smiling – the very warm smile he showed me when we made the promise.

"I could never forget it Sakura. Just like how I can never forget you."

And, he slowly held my shoulders and kissed me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11.**

_-Recap from Chapter 10-_

_ "I could never forget it Sakura. Just like how I can never forget you."_

_ And, he slowly held my shoulders and kissed me._

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It was so sweet. The moment, the place, the time... and the man in front of me who was telling me that he can never forget me. Everything was perfectly magnificent. To be frank, I never wanted it to end - I wanted it to last perpetually. However, it soon finished as we were disturbed by ringing from my phone. Awkward and embarrassed, I quickly searched for my phone and realized that it was from my brother. I sighed lightly before picking up and answered as calmly as possible.

"Hello?"

"Is it true that the Li bastard has come back?" He asked authoritatively. Uh oh, news surely spread fast...

"Why... are you asking me that?" I retorted, trying to use rebellious tactic on my brother which I know will not work unfortunately.

"Because I am your brother. Now tell me the truth Sakura, has he really come back to Japan?" He asked again, but this time in a caring tone.

"...Yes?" I replied hesitantly.

"Why has he returned?"

As I tried to conjure up a reasonable answer that will not upset Touya, Syaoran suddenly snatched up the phone.

"Hello? Sakura? Tell me. Has he returned for you?"

"What if I did" Syaoran said. This was it. My heart sank unfathomably as I could vividly imagine what will happen; Touya will explode.

"Hello?" Then a few seconds later Touya roared upon the realization "YOU! LI BASTARD! WHY IN THE FREAKING WORLD ARE YOU WITH MY SISTER? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER? YOU BETTER REPLY ASAP IF YOU..." Then the line went dead; Syaoran cut the call.

"Your brother never changes" He said goofily as he returned the phone to me.

"Like you are the one to talk Syaoran" I muttered as I put my phone away, shaking my head, unhappy with the way conversation - if you can call that a conversation - went between the two immature men.

"You know, Touya will definitely kill you when he sees you." I told him as we walked towards the house, wanting to reprimand him.

"Meh, I will deal with that later." He childishly replied. However, when we reached the front door, he turned around to me abruptly and faced me with the seriousness; there was an air of earnestness and urgency - all the teasing was gone from his visage.

"But Sakura... What about you? What do you think about starting again?" He asked.

I gulped. I forgot about it momentarily due to his banter with Touya. I honestly did not know myself so I kept playing with my fingers, avoiding his gaze.

Chuckling, Syaoran put his warm hand on my head and gently caressed my hair. Then he softly spoke.

"I can wait. Just don't close out on me. I am going to try my best to make you accept me once again." And, he opened the door and I went inside first, followed by him.

Unlike the exterior of the house which was already adorned professionally, there was nothing inside the house. No, more like it was empty - vacated forcibly. I turned around, puzzled as to why such beautiful house would be left stranded unsightly inside.

"Okay. So the first request from your client Ms. Sakura, is to renovate the place to his taste." He told me.

"Syaoran, I don't even know the owner of the house so how can I just renovate this place to your taste? You are being absurd" I replied, slightly agitated with his antics - tenderness that existed only a few minutes ago well forgotten.

Upon my response, Syaoran dramatically slapped his forehead and groaned. What was wrong with him? Does he know the owner? How can he just decide on his own like that?

"Sakura, I bought this place." He said solemnly.

Oh...

I laughed out of embarrassment. Haha... If I trace back, he definitely had the key to the house, thus we were inside. Silly me. Upon my discomforted face, Syaoran just pinched my cheek playfully and added on but formally this time.

"I am thinking of using this place as a holiday house in Japan. But I will leave all the details to you Ms. Kinomoto." He smiled and bowed slightly, a bit rueful when he used my maiden name.

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"Yes, yes Yukito, I got all the measurements and plan to visit couple of stores tomorrow for the furniture. I took some pictures too. I have a rough idea about the placement but I want to get it approved so I will drop by the office to show them to you. I will work on it tonight so see you tomorrow."

I ended the report over the phone to Yukito and jumped onto my bed, completely exhausted. It was an eventful day. First of all, I practically became Syaoran's own... employee? property? whatever you can name it with the notion of personal possession. Secondly, I finally saw the house of my dream and lastly... Syaoran's words and kiss.

Shaking my head to clear the day's occurrences, I went to the fridge and tossed out a cold beer. I opened it and headed to my desk. I hit the power button for my laptop and took a sip of the drink. As I waited for the system to fully boot, I looked at some pictures I have taken for the measurement. I flipped them one by one on the phone, but I realized one thing. In every corner of the pictures, Syaoran could be found.

You know what? I think I need sleep.

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Hi! First of all, thank you for all the reviews! I really appreciate them.

And, I would like to apologize as well for the infrequent updates. It is just that I tend to write a rough draft first and leave them for a couple of days and then go on about fixing the document so I can minimize the mistakes. But because of my style of writing causing inconsistencies in the updates, I realized that I could have been irresponsible so I have been updating the rough drafts straight away these days. Actually this chapter is also a rough draft too.

I cannot promise the specific day of the week that I will update, but I will try to upload at least one chapter every week. I also would like to continue the new story I have uploaded last week ASAP so if there are readers for the other story too, I shamelessly ask for patience.

Thank you for reading and reviewing!

-iceAmericanoaddict


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